Anthroposophy

Anthroposophically Extended Medicine (AEM) is a truly integrative healing system. AEM represents an expansion, not an alternative to conventional medicine. Its unique understanding of the interplay among physiological, soul and spiritual processes in healing and illness serves to bridge allopathy with naturopathy, homeopathy, functional/nutritional medicine and other healing systems.

BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and most of all anthroposophic medicine (AM) are important features of cancer treatment in Switzerland. While the number of epidemiological investigations into the use of such therapies is increasing, there is a distinct lack of reports regarding the combination of conventional and CAM methods. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 144 in-patients with advanced epithelial cancers were enrolled in a prospective quality-of-life (QoL) study at the Lukas Klinik (LK), Arlesheim, Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: Anthroposophic therapies (counselling, special medication, art, eurythmy movement, and rhythmical massage) aim to stimulate long-term self-healing processes, which theoretically could lead to a reduction of healthcare use. In a prospective two-year cohort study, anthroposophic therapies were followed by a reduction of chronic disease symptoms and improvement of quality of life. The purpose of this analysis was to describe health costs in users of anthroposophic therapies.

Anthroposophically Extended Medicine (AEM) is a truly integrative healing system. AEM represents an expansion, not an alternative to conventional medicine. Its unique understanding of the interplay among physiological, soul and spiritual processes in healing and illness serves to bridge allopathy with naturopathy, homeopathy, functional/nutritional medicine and other healing systems.

For many families of pediatric cancer patients the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an accepted adjunct to conventional therapy, even if data regarding effects and risks are scarse. This report provides information about the prevalence of CAM use and reasons for CAM use among pediatric cancer patients. Frequently used CAM like nutrition (incl. diets and vitamins), homeopathy, anthroposophic medicine, phytotherapy, and acupuncture are highlighted, as were CAM bearing a special risk for their users.

This paper discusses the question of whether anthroposophic medicinal products can be treated in the European Union as regards registration and marketing authorization, in the same way as homeopathic medicinal products. European Union legislation, European official pharmacopoeias, and bibliography in this regard have been revised. European Directives make a single reference in one of its whereas clauses to anthroposophic medicinal products "described in an official pharmacopoeia and prepared by a homeopathic method".

PURPOSE: Medicinal solutions for injection are frequently applied in anthroposophic medicine and homeopathy. Despite their extensive use, there is little data published on the safety of these products. Therefore, we investigated the safety of anthroposophic and homeopathic solutions for injection through a systematic evaluation of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). METHODS: ADRs were extracted from the pharmacovigilance databases of eight German manufacturers.

After discussing some important alternative approaches, different interpretations are presented of the concepts of health, disease, diagnosis, therapy and patient. These differences are elucidated in three main frames of medical thinking: the pharmaceutical, the integrational and the holistic model. Attention is given to the problem of scientific proof, especially in relation to the effectiveness of alternative therapies. In a concluding paragraph it is attempted to analyse the (social) backgrounds of the controversy between regular and alternative medicine.